: a small straight thin-bladed knife used especially in surgery
Examples of scalpel in a Sentence
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Not even the poor old definite article was safe from his scalpel.
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
That, in no small part, reflects a dependence on Chinese goods that the administration is right to see as unhealthy, but correcting that is work for a scalpel, not a chainsaw, and needs common sense too.
—The Editors, National Review, 1 May 2025
Editing parameters is akin to ultra-targeted brain surgery — a scalpel capable of tweaking single neurons.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
The cuts haven't been made with a scalpel, but an axe — or, rather a chainsaw.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scalpel
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Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
That, in no small part, reflects a dependence on Chinese goods that the administration is right to see as unhealthy, but correcting that is work for a scalpel, not a chainsaw, and needs common sense too.
—The Editors, National Review, 1 May 2025
Editing parameters is akin to ultra-targeted brain surgery — a scalpel capable of tweaking single neurons.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
The cuts haven't been made with a scalpel, but an axe — or, rather a chainsaw.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scalpel
Cite this Entry
“Scalpel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scalpel. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scalpel
noun
scal·pel
ˈskal-pəl 
also skal-ˈpel
: a small straight thin-bladed knife used especially in surgery
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